Scald 1/4 milk until heated but not boiling. Stir in butter until melted. Add egg, lemon zest and salt then combine in the bowl of a mixer with the yeast. Stir in the flour a little at a time to make a soft, sticky dough. Knead* on medium speed until a smooth, soft dough forms, about 8 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Flatten the dough on a well-floured surface. Roll it out into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Spread dough with the softened butter then fold in half. Chill dough for 20 minutes.

Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Spread** the "Schmear' Almond Filling evenly over the dough. Roll it tightly from the narrow end into a tight log. Curve rolled dough into a circle tucking the ends under to form a neat ring.

Place ring on a greased baking sheet. Brush with the egg wash. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven until well browned, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over the cooled pastry ring. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Notes:

*If your mixer does not have a dough hook attachment, we recommend using the mixer until a soft, sticky dough forms - at this stage you will have used about 2 to 2 1/4 cups of flour. Please dough on well floured board and knead in remaining flour until a smooth, soft dough forms.

**KosherEye recommends using an offset spatula to spread the "Schmear".